Ebederick w



F. W. RICHTER.

ELECTRIC PLUG AND.SOCKET.

APPLICATION man APR. 12.1911.

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56j /I ff i? E 242 j ,Z I t I z l l I v FREDERICK W. RICHTER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

ELECTRIC PLUG AN D SOCKET.

Lacasse.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 3, ii22.

Application led April 12, 1917. Serial I N'o. 161,462.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. RICH- TER, a citizen of the United States, residing at 5016 Von Versen ave., St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Electric Plug and Socket; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention is an electric attachment.` plug and portable lamp socket and seeksv among its objects to provide improved electrical devices of this character.

A further object is to provide an electric attachment plug suitable for connection with the conventional plug base and having the Contact shanks disposed in right angles to the length of the plug, whereby the strains imposed upon the flexible wire connected with the plug will be kept from exerting a direct pull upon the contact shanks.

A still further object is to provide in an attachment plug means for adjusting the contact Shanks vertically, so that the distance which they project from be regulated as desired.

A still further object is to provide in an attachment plug means for changing the position ofthecontact Shanks, so that the bottom of the plug may be kept pointed downwardly in case the base to which the plug is attached would otherwise tend to cause the plug to assume an inverted position.

`A stillfurther'object is to provide an electric socket having an outer casing and a handling means integrally connected therewith, the casing having binding posts mounted on its interior which binding postsY connect the socket leads'with the conducting wires that transmit current to the socket.

A still further object is to provide in both the plug and the socket means for' clampin theJ conducting cable in the casings thereo so that the electric connection within each will be relieved of the physical strains-inin posed upon the cable.

Other objects will appear from the detailed description which follows.V

Should thedrawings and specification vary to the extent of having the one set forth some structure that is not fully de` fined in the other, the right is claimed to such structure as though it had been fully treated by both.

the plug can The drawings present the invention in one specific embodiment to which however it is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to vary the details of construction to any extent compatible with the spirit of the appended claim. A uniform s stem of designating the various parts o the invention obtains in all the figures of the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is an elevation of the improved socket.

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. 4

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. l.

The socket is acylindrically shaped meinber, ther upper end being of smaller diameter than the lower end to provide a means 'for conveniently handling the socket, as it is designed for particular use as a portable socket. The outer casing is divided in half longitudinally forming the portions 22 and 23 which are held together by straps 24 and 25 similar to strap 16 which is used on the cylindrical portion 4 of the attachment plug., rThe bo tom part of the casing is liollowed out to receive those parts of the socket which carry the lamp. rl`he shell 26 is provided at the top with an inturned annular flange 23 which lies against the Harige 29 of a circular insulating piece (preferably porcelain) 30. Positioned centrally in the piece 30 is a contact stud 31 with a head abutting either base of the piece 30. The piece 30 further has an annular Harige 27. Conducting wires 33 and' 34 are soldered to or other wise aihxed t0 the stud 31 and shell 26 respectively and i serve to conduct current to these parts by means of connections to be later described. The shell 26 and piece3G are surrounded on their exterior by a suitable insulating ma'- project far enough beyond this material l to permit their attachment to the binding posts 35 fixed in the portion 22 of the outer casing. The handle portion of the outer casing is provided with a central hole,

(formed half in the part 22 and half in lthe part 23) adapted to receive the flexible cord l. This central hole is cojlnterbored at the top to receive the spiral spring 36 per which is in surrounding relation to the eX- ible cord l and relieves the latter of undue .bending strains where it enters the outer yat the bottom of the outer Acasing and are centrally positioned with reference to the halves 22 and 23 thereof, thesev slots together with the divisions of the casing perinitting the bottom end tofbe compressed (by the tightening of s trap 25) on the insulatingmaterial 32 and to thus hold the socket portion securely within the casing. Similarly the tightening of the strap 24 operates to bring the two halves of the uportion of the casing together and to y, firm yA-secure the exible cord l therein,

thus relieving the connections at the bindl Ying posts 35 from any strain that may be 30:,

imposed upon the cord. n

lit will thus be seen that the construction relieves the connection between the binding y'posts and the socket from any strain and damage to these connections, is therefore, reduced to .a minimum.

Both the outer casing for the socket and the body of the attachment plug are designed to bey made of hard `wood, liber or some other infrangible insulating material and are, therefore, not easily broken.4

With the attachment plug, the 'contact Shanks 9 may be interchanged between either pair of diagonally opposite holes 8, so `that the plug may be made to han with the cylindrical end 4 downward, -w etherl the plug be attached to a plug base with contact holes disposed Y at an angle to the right or at an angle to the left of the perpendicular.` Disposing the backs of the contact Shanks 9 at right angles tothe body of the plug reduces to a minimum the liability ofpulling the plug away froi the' plug base' to which it is attached, and any pull on the flexible cord l does not exert a direct pull on the shanks in the direction of their length.`

The outer casing for the socket is shown as having its two halves held together by the straps 24 and 25, but these straps might be omitted and the two halves ofthe casing held together by appropriate screws without departing from tl' spirit of the invention. The advantage of having the outer casing in two parts is apparent when it is remembered that the flexible cord attached toa portable socket` often becomes soaked lwith grease and swells, thereby renderingit diiiicultto remove the solid casing. I The insulating material 32 is provided with an integral lug 41 adapted'to engage a recess in the portion 23 ofthe socket. rIhis lug acts as an additional securing means for the insulating material 32.

What is claimed is:

The combination with a casing comprising a pair of sections semi-cylindrical in cross section, the lower portions of tbe adjacent faces of said sections having semicylindrical recesses forming a chamber, said casing being constructed 'of non-conducting material, of a porcelain member corresponding to and fitting said chamber, a locking connection between the porcelain member and the wall of the chamber, a metallic socket threaded in the porcelain member, a porcelain plate in the upper end of the member, and provided with an electrical conducting pin, said casing having a handle portion provided with a longitudinally eX- tending bore to receive electrical conduct` ing wires, electrical conducting wires in said bore, one connected -to the conducting pin, and the other to the metallic socket of the porcelain'y member, and a' pair of bands surrounding the twosections of the casing separably connecting them together.

ln testimony whereof I have signed my name to-this Specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

rnnnniaicn w, moeren.'

'i l/Vit'nesses:

Wnun TQJOHNSON, Jr., Lesina Home. 

